Billy K. Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 There are a bunch of unanswered questions in the back of my mind concerning music of various genres......here are a few:(1)Mussgorsky wrote "Pictures at an Exhibition" as a tribute to artist Victor Hartman. Do the paintings still exist, and where are they?(2)Nirvana did a cover of the Shocking Blue's "Love Buzz"....was it a hit in Europe or the US?....or was it an oddball song that Cobain happened to like.(3)John Philip Souza supposedly wrote some operas as well as his famous marching band music. Any other info on his operetic works.(4)Who played keyboards on ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses"---band member or outsider?(5)What session work did any of the Rasberries do on other people's recordings?(6)Lennon and McCartney sang backups on the Stones' "We Love You".....did the Stones ever return the favor?(7)Anyone from the "Star Search" TV show, besides Sawyer Brown, ever make it big?(8)Irving Berlin wrote a lot of songs over the years that never were recorded.Anything happening to those songs in recent years?(9)I heard that Jerry Reed played on some Elvis hits......which songs, specifically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Well I can answer #9: "Guitar Man" is definitely one that Jerry played on, but I'm guessing there were others. For #6, I know that Mick sang on the tv recording of "All You Need Is Love."For #7, how about Sam Harris? He was huge in the infant days of Star Search, and I can still hear him singing "Over the Rainbow." Believe he even signed a contract with Motown way back then.Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlene Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I don't know about John Phillip Sousa's operas, but he wrote a VERY romantic novel called "The Fifth String," which I love. I picked up a copy in an antique bookshop in the Catskills, and I adore the story. It's the story of a violinist who literally sells his soul to the Devil in order to play music enchanted enough to charm a beautiful woman. The Devil gives him a special violin with a fifth string in the middle--a string plaited of the long, black hair from a beautiful woman. When he plays on the fifth string all women go wild for his music and for him. Then all the intrigue begins...GREAT tale! It was a very unexpected treat! I would have thought Sousa would have written about a marching band! --Darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popdude Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Brian Jones of the Stones played sax on the Beatles' "You Know My Name Look Up the Number." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy K. Posted March 13, 2005 Author Share Posted March 13, 2005 Thanks everybody. I saw "Star Search" only a few times, and don't recall seeing most of those names on that show.....but I did distinctly remember Sam Harris.....which I had just forgot until you mentioned it....Darlene, wasn't Sousa amazing? First time I heard of that book.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannoman Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 #7 - Brad Garrett - he plays Robert (Ray's brother onEverybody Loves Raymond).Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlene Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Isn't it amazing what everyone knows??? --D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 #2: Love buzz was an albumtrack from the Dutch group Shocking Blue (no.1 in Billboards Hot 100 with Venus), it was never released as a single over here in Holland.Other Dutch groups that charted US hits: The Tee Set, the George Baker Selection, Golden Earring, Focus (with master gitarist Jan Akkerman), Mouth & MacNeal, Diesel, Kayak, Spin, Vandenberg (with my former classmate Dick Kemper on bass, now he owns a soundstudio in my hometown Doetinchem), Champagne, Curtie & the Boombox, Amber (a female dance singer) and I guess it could even be more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 #9: Elvis Presley recorded at least two Jerry Reed songs: US Male and Guitar man (both in 1968). Guitar man was re-released in 1981 as a remix, with Jerry Reed on guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Ah Mouth & MacNeal! "How Do You Do"!Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Yes indeed, Big Mouth (Willem Duyn) just passed away a few months ago, age 67. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlene Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Yes, Billy, Sousa WAS amazing! I'm finding out how smart and versatile he was! --D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Another Dutchman in the US charts was Herman Brood & his Wild Romance in 1979, place 35 in the Billboard singles charts with Saturday night. About three years ago he jumped from the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel after writing his goodbye note just a few minutes earlier at the bar of the hotel. The barkeeper asked him: What are you writing mister Brood, is it a new song? No, it's gonna be my last letter to all my friends. When the barkeeper a few minutes later called the police, the tragedy was already happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Wim how could you forget the George Baker Selection and "Una Paloma Blanca"?Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 I mentionted them already, their first hit Little green bag from 1969/1970 was a pretty nice song, Una paloma blanca braught him the big money, a big hit all around the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Oh yes of course, "Little Green Bag." That was a neat song.Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 And about Una Paloma blanca: Believe it or not but George Baker is back in the Dutch charts with Paloma blanca 2005 (vet hard mix). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy K. Posted March 16, 2005 Author Share Posted March 16, 2005 Got another Netherlands question.....from what I understand the "Chicken Dance" started there...who did the original? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 At the moment I'm at my office, but when I'm home in few hours I'm gonna look for the answer. I think it began in Switzerland en came on later to Holland and Belgium. Later more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimvriezen Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 The answer to Billy K.: It all started in Switzerland way back in 1973, the composer and original player (instrumental) was Werner Thomas.Belgian publisher heard the song while on holiday in Switzerland and imported the song over to Belgium. Seven years later the Dutch group The Electronica's recorded the song and scored the second best hit in Holland that year, a year later it became a number two record in England by the Tweeties as the Birdie song. But I also have to say it was chosen by Dutch radiolistners as the number one song of the most horrible hits ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy K. Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 The song never got radio airplay here but the wedding DJs played it on a regular basis in the U.S. Certainly nothing that would be a hit but surely worked out well at weddings for a bit of humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlene Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 My old bandleader approached none other than Frank Perdue about adopting it for a commercial with our band playing it. Mercifully, Frank said "no." --Darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadfingerBarb Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 It actually became "The Chicken Dance" here in Tulsa, OK about 25 years ago. It was originally entitled "Der Ententanz" ("The Duck Dance"). It became known as "The Chicken Dance" at the first Oktoberfest in Tulsa when they couldn't locate a duck costume to accompany the song and simply renamed it and replaced it with a chicken. http://www.tulsaoktoberfest.org/history/chickenhistory.htm It quickly spread everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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